Mobian Cop Bad Cop 2: Turnabout Royalty
by Yorobot
Summary: A horrible crime happens in Four-Lakes, and King Sonic, who was passing by for a party and a speech, is framed. We all know he would never do it. Alexis, Shadow and Ventuss, a JAG attorney, will do everything possible to get him out of trouble.
1. Intro

Mobian Cop Bad Cop 2

Note: I base this story on both games and comics; thus some things have been changed, such as the comic couple TailsXMina, which makes no sense to me and to over 90% of the fans. The only couple that isn`t totally liked but that I HAVE to keep for this story is SonicXSally, because it is part of the plot. Sorry for the inconvenience. I am also reticent in using the Seedrians, since I have never watched Sonic X, and that I`m unsure it would have its place in here. Also, even though this story is set after my other Sonic fan fiction, "Mobian Cop Bad Cop", it has next to no link with the preceding one. Thus, only a few details will explain why Shadow and the OC named Alexis are friends. If you happen to get lost in the sea of details dating from X years ago story-wise, a chronology will be at the end to explain better.

Of course, I don`t own the Sonic series, nor the Ace Attorney series. Not that this story is a crossover, it isn`t. Well, not really. Depends how you see it. If you believe it could be better as a crossover, tell me in reviews. Anyway, I only own a few of my own characters here. A few others aren`t mine.

I`m co-writing this story with sprx777, and since we are good friends and we`re both quite good at writing, I expect this story to be, maybe not epic, but still great. The first chapter si the introduction; the next chapter should be up sometime this Saturday.

The dialog is in French when it is _italicized_. However, if it is written normally, it`s in English.

* * *

A crowd of people entered the famous Showtel. The whole population was invited to the party – although not everyone could fit into that hotel renowned on Mobius for the great ballroom on the ground floor. Sure, many guests were invited to the night: Shadow the Hedgehog, the legendary Ultimate Life Form who still looked as young as he has ever been, and then his wife Rouge, a G.U.N. agent. Interesting to notice is that Shadow, due to lack of action and evil characters to stop, had to find some way to keep himself entertained in fighting and entered the Station Square Police Department, where he now has a lot of fun bashing robbers and criminals before throwing them in jail.

We could see Tails, Sonic`s best friend, who had grown to become a handsome fox dragging the attention of many girls. He had become Sonic`s Technical assistant and was doing excellent work. He wasn`t with Cream, though some sparks of a shy romance could be glimpsed when they were near each other. After all, he was now 22, and she was 20.

Fourteen years passed since the very last threat against Mobius, after all. Almost everyone was in their late twenties, maybe early thirties, such as Knuckles, protector of the Master Emerald. He couldn`t be part of the event sadly, but his girlfriend Shade was there, ready to bring back souvenirs from the event thanks to a camera. She was running around, catching bits and pieces of speeches to bring back something for her beloved echidna.

Queen Blaze the Cat was there however, along with the hedgehog she married once she reached maturity, Silver. Both wore weighty crowns atop their heads. They were dressed in the most expensive attire they could find in the great wardrobe of their castle on Sol. Silver`s tuxedo looked just perfect on him, just like Blaze`s dress.

Of course, there was Sonic`s number one fan, Amy Rose, who still had a slight crush on him, despite knowing he was married to someone else. She just couldn`t get over him. It was simply impossible. She spent her leisure time taking care of Chao, when she wasn`t working of course.

The less known heroes of this world were slowly showing up as well. Antoine D`Coolette walked in, holding the hand of Bunnie-Rabbot, the half-roboticized rabbit. They couldn`t find yet any way to restore her legs. Due to this, the couple had to adopt a child; their girl wasn`t with them tonight, she stayed at home with a babysitter. Big was there, although he had to find a 4XL tuxedo. The Mobian cats of his height and weigth are extremely rare. The well-known detective agency Chaotix was part of the guests as well. Vector was in a corner of the room, checking an old piano that was still able to make a great symphony. Espio was chatting with people around, something rare from him. As a ninja, silence is his best ally. And Charmy Bee was there as well; the 20yo bee had matured and was much more serious than before, although he still had kept an insatiable hunger, which tonight he stopped by snacking (more like raiding) in the buffet offered to the guests. A very living Nicole was present, her micro-robotic body perfectly mimicking a lynx's. Over fourteen years, she had learned much about emotions and could re-create them with her facial robotic muscles to perfection. No one would ever doubt she was once a small program in a handheld machine. Jet, Wave and Storm were there, more or less; they were outside, doing Extreme Gear stunts.

And those were only the members of the "real gang", i.e. those who are known to have bravely fought for the survival of their planet against deadly opponents. But there was also a great group of characters, who were not known nearly as much as them, but had still left a mark on the world. There was Aero, another Ultimate Lifeform, discovered later, much after Shadow, although this one claimed to be the original, even before the Biolizard. Then, there was Scott McCarthy, a fox who owned a piece of land on which he liked to grow corn. His best friend Warp, a partly roboticized hedgehog, was there with him. The two friends were there to meet Sonic, who they greatly respected.

There was Hood, a bee who had not done much for Mobius; he was coroner in the FLPD, Four-Lakes Police Department. Thanks to his extensive knowing of the biology of nearly every single species there was on Mobius, he was an excellent worker, albeit speaking a bit too fast at times. He was accompanied of Belle, a fox he was with since not even a year. She was a landscape painter and could get quite good revenues for her pictures.

Then, there was Alexis Depardieu Coolette. A knuckleheaded cop who has been though best and worst. He and Shadow had been teamed up a year ago to prevent a dangerous criminal mastermind from spreading terror for a mundane reason (of course, anyone who loves to watch hulo games too much won`t be of the same opinion). After finding out they weren`t so different, they stayed good friends. That same mission was Alexis` first meeting with Sonic, they had to protect him against the same criminal mastermind, who had planned to kidnap him for his status, in some form of _coup d`état_.

Indeed, Sonic had become King of Robotropolis, and was living a quite happy life with Sally. Many disapproved of this union, many saying Sonic would be better with Amy Rose, and other believing anyone would be better than Princess Sally Acorn… but the facts are there, and no one can change them. Sonic`s greatest adventure, eleven years ago, was also the end of Robotnik and of every single portal leading to and from Moebius, the evil mirror side where anyone nice is evil and vice-versa. Without action anymore, everyone hoped something like Chaos or Mephiles would come back to torment them, at least for a bit of a battle. But strangely, once the Eggman threat was annihilated, such adventures happened only once every few years… often less. Boredom was slowly installing itself within the gang, and they decided to just live normal lives – that explains why Shadow, who just couldn`t stand to work under King Sonic, ended up as a cop. Many of the others went with Sonic to Robotropolis and have been happy to work under him and Queen Sally. Sonic wasn't the kind of guy to grow a huge ego despite his present social rank.

Now, why were they in Four-Lakes, this city that is linked to Station Square by only one highway and has been unknown to them until a year ago? Well, after Alexis and Shadow saved Sonic from the mastermind known as "tattoo killer", he decided to pass by there more often, and maybe learn a bit of French, just in case he has to work with French-speaking people. He could already understand better Antoine`s French words, which sounded so funny to him back then. Actually, King Sonic had to go there to talk affairs with some rich people. Since the trip was a rather long one, he had to stay a few days. That`s why he invited all his staff and the heroes who helped him throughout his hero career to a party.

Sonic was in the ballroom, chatting with some guests, often signing autographs to fans of his awesome back story. He had noticed some fans wanted even more than autographs, like a jewel from his crown, or maybe from his sceptre (he was always with them not to think himself superior, but only for the fun of it), and this was kind of annoying. One of them even asked to rub his quills for luck! He wasn`t a Saint, was he? In any case, he didn't like that kind of behaviour from his fans. It was even worse than how Amy acted around him fourteen years ago! One of them was a billion times worse though. A squirrel girl was following Sonic around, constantly nagging him… at some points, it even looked like flirting. She knew he was married, right? If not, then she was really stupid.

After some time of hearing all her ideas on their "future life together", Sonic got really mad and told her to go to hell (but maybe it was worse than that). The girl ran away crying, and passed through the large crowd to disappear in the staircase leading to the higher floors and the hotel rooms.

Shadow found Alexis through the crowd. The brown-haired coyote saw him arrive as well. Unlike his usual, loud-mouthed behaviour, the coyote had a low face. He spoke in English so Rouge would understand him. The whole discussion was in English.

"Hey, Shadow, how`s it going?" he asked on a sad tone. Rouge immediately felt like something was wrong.

"What`s the problem, hun?" she asked.

"Annie isn`t here with you?" the black and red hedgehog asked before Alexis could answer Rouge`s question.

Alexis sighed. "Very funny Shad. You know that we divorced. It had become bad for me to stay with her."

"If it couldn`t work, it couldn`t work, Alex," Rouge tried to explain. "Maybe she wasn't the One for you. Maybe you felt like she was, but she wasn`t, it`s too bad. You`ll find a woman perfect for you someday, hun. If Shadow could, you can."

Shadow stared at his wife with a nonplused look. "What do you mean by that?" Rouge giggled to this reply.

Alexis sighed again and sipped on his glass of alcohol punch. "Yeah, maybe you`re right… well, there`s at least one good thing with that. I get to see Jennifer once every two weeks…"

Hood walked to them. "Hey Alex!" he said, waving the right hand toward his long-time friend. He turned to the hedgehog and the bat. "Hi, you two!" He was still speaking really fast. He was also speaking in English.

"Hi there," Shadow said. "…what`s your name again?"

"It`s Hood…" Alexis answered. "You know… the coroner, at Four-Lakes…"

"The annoying guy?" Shadow asked.

"Not so annoying," Hood replied. "Anyway, I never thought I`d find my nephew here. I`m surprised!"

Alexis, Shadow and Rouge went wide-eyed. "Who?"

"Charmy Bee! He`s my nephew, guys!" Hood said on a very joyful tone.

"Ah… last time I saw him tonight, he had eaten every triangle-shaped ham sandwich and was stabbing the macaroni salad with a fork," Rouge mentioned.

"How can you be that young bee`s uncle?" Shadow asked. "You`re 32 and he`s already 20… you can`t be his uncle," Shadow theorized.

"Charmy is my oldest brother`s son, and my oldest brother is about ten years older than I am, so… I guess it makes sense now, huh? Anyway, he was happy to see me. And he was happy to meet my girlfriend too."

"Ah yes, that Belle… I heard you two were going along really well."

"Better than you`d think!" Hood said with pride in the tone. "In any case, better than you were doing with Annie…"

"You shouldn`t salt that wound, Hood," Rouge told him. "For what I see, your pal is really down…"

Some microphone taps heard through loudspeakers interrupted their discussion. King Sonic was about to speak to the public. Sonic tapped again, spoke the renowned "one-two, one-two" to make sure the microphone worked well, and began speaking.

"_Hi everyone! It`s me, King Sonic from Robotropolis, if one of you hadn`t guessed. Thank me for the party! I had to celebrate my second visit to Four-Lakes! Last time wasn`t as great, I was almost unseen. I really needed to prove I was here!_"

He had spoken in broken French, but he was really trying. He was doing his best. Although that wasn`t the worst Alexis had heard (An English-speaking Antoine was lamer than that), the cop could just thank Sonic for trying to learn that language.

"_I would like to thank all of you for the hospitality you have showed toward me. I am happy of all this. The inhabitants of Four-Lakes are really great!_"

King Sonic continued speaking for one or two minutes, and ended his speech with a special message.

"_Starting right now, the ball begins for real. Put on your best dancing shoes, and find a spot on the dance floor before it gets overcrowded. DJ Croc _(he pointed to Vector, who had walked to a table with spinning disks)_ will prepare the salsa and the mambo!_"

Sonic left the stage following this. Rouge and Shadow walked to the dance floor – or rather Rouge forcefully pulled him to there as the black and red hero really didn`t want to dance – and Hood also walked there with Belle. His girlfriend was teaching him how to dance salsa. Alexis stayed in a corner, lonelier than ever. During that time, King Sonic left toward his Suite on the first floor. He was tired. However, before climbing the staircase, he grabbed his cell phone, dialled a number, and spoke to someone. Once the discussion was over, he left for his room.

The music was loud and nearly everyone felt like dancing to it. DJ Vector was switching the disks while watching all the couples dancing to an awesome music.

And then a loud scream pierced the place. A girl`s horrific scream.

* * *

For those who have problems with chronology…

-Fourteen years ago: The original chronology, the one where all the games happen. The canon storyline…

-Eleven years ago: Eggman`s defeat and the end of all threats. Moebius is blocked and locked, forbidding any Anti from traveling to the positive world. Sonic is 18, guess the rest.

-One year ago: Alexis Depardieu Coolette and Shadow are set together on the same case, in hopes their respective cities and PDs get along better from this partnership. Together, through troubles, action and lots of cursing, they end up stopping the kidnapping of King Sonic, who was targeted by the murderer of many people related to hulo, which is an extremely popular sport. Alexis and Shadow are friends ever since. The whole story is in Mobian Cop Bad Cop, a story written a year ago. Coincidence? Not sure.

That`s it for the backstory behind Mobian Cop Bad Cop 2. More family-friendly than the first, and with a more complicated plot in my opinion. Anyway, tell me in reviews what you think of it.


	2. Investigation, day 1

Disclaimer: I don`t own any canon character of the Sonic series. Alexis, Oxen and Hood are mine.

Let the investigation begin! And if you have an idea of who did it... keep it to yourself, for you might be wrong.

* * *

Chapter 2

"_Wow… that really breaks the party,_" Captain Oxen commented. "_You`re sure it wasn`t part of the song? All the heavy metal singers out there who scream at every two words in their awful songs… why isn`t country music cool anymore?_"

Alexis snickered. "_Because country music sucks, boss,_" he answered. "_And it wasn`t heavy metal. It was salsa. You know, that kind of music that comes from the southern Zones of Mobius?_"

"_Yeah, I know._" Oxen scratched his head. "_That case is freaking weird._"

"_I agree,_" Hood said. He was in Oxen`s office with his friend Alexis. The body had just been brought to him and was waiting in the lab. "_I mean, it`s already crazy enough that someone has been killed in an overcrowded place, but it makes no sense that the one who`s framed is Sonic._"

"_How could you even think about that, Oxen? That`s stupid!_" Alexis yelled.

"_Listen, witnesses say they saw Sonic climb the stairs to the first floor just minutes before the scream was heard. After we found the body, we investigated a bit, and we found a few clues in the room. You`ll find them in that same room, you`ll go in just a few minutes.._"

"_And will Sonic be tried?_" Hood asked.

"_Sadly, yes,_" Oxen said. "_But there`s worse._"

"_What?_"

"_If we keep King Sonic captive despite his rank, the international tensions will arise._"

"_So?_" Alexis asked.

"_Well, Sonic has a few lawyers. But in an international trouble, with a possible war happening if things worsen, we call the JAG attorneys. Those will help us here._"

"JAG?" Hood asked.

"_Army attorneys, kinda,_" Alexis explained. "_Don`t you ever watch TV?_"

"Anyway…" Oxen said with his awful accent, "_the attorney will be here tomorrow for the case. I still don`t know who will be prosecuting this case however._"

"_Whatever. We should go investigate now, huh?_" Alexis said.

"_You go investigate. I`ll go check the body. I`ll see what has happened. Oh, Shadow is waiting at the front door of the Police Department. You should go with him._"

"_What? He`s here?_ Tabarnak! _You could have told me!_" Alexis hurried outside. He immediately saw the Station Square detective he knew most, Shadow the hedgehog. He was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed, and wearing the usual never-happy face.

"You took your time, Alex," he lectured him. "We got a huge case."

"You look like you are ready to help your forever rival," Alexis said.

"You gotta be kidding me, Alexis. I still think Sonic is a faker, I still believe he`s slower than I am. He`s still less awesome than I am."

"Well, I guess he`s at least humbler than your are," Alexis joked.

"Hmpf. Anyway, I don`t like it, but for once I got to save the blue hedgehog from trouble. Twice in two years, decidedly I'm not used to that."

"Well, let`s go then…" Alexis said. Both got in Shadow`s car, and drove to the Showtel. "Hey, do you at least know what the rooms` numbers are?"

"Yeah, I got all that this morning," Shadow said, carefully driving. "McKaz told me I had to stay in Four-Lakes as long as this damn case isn`t solved. I better get to find the real killer and fast."

Alexis scratched the back of his head with his right hand. "I`m sure Sonic is innocent, we just need to find some clues that haven`t been found yet. Even the most mundane stuff can prove that Sonic has never killed a single person."

"…you forgot Eggman," Shadow pointed out.

"Doesn`t count," Alexis replied. "He was a villain, and he sure deserved it. Besides, I`m sure it was an accident. Sonic is a hero, he would never kill on purpose."

"So you say," Shadow said as he parked near the Showtel. "We better hurry to the victim`s room."

Alexis got out of the car and locked the door behind, then entered the Showtel. Shadow followed him. They both got to the first floor and reached a room where many policemen of all species were looking around.

"_Get away guys, let the detectives work,_" Alexis said. He entered the room and began checking around. He saw the body`s silhouette on the floor, drawn with a chalk, like it is done in any case. The silhouette had the head toward the door. A lot of blood was splattered in the confines of the silhouette and at some points around it. "_Okay, Shadow. So, this means one thing, the girl was trying to escape… right?_"

"_Yes. Look, the silhouette is very close to the door, and the victim fell toward it. She was then in a motion to go out, as if she was running from something, or someone._"

"_It means the killer was in the center of the room, somewhere near the bed._" Alexis took out a sheet and drew a fast picture of a plan of the room.

The room was rectangular, and the side with the door was the low part of the picture. Just beside the main door of the room was a desk with drawers. A lamp and many objects were resting on it. The opposite wall had a window. The bed was leaning against the wall with the window and was facing the left wall when one entered. The left wall had a closet to it. There was a TV resting in front of the bed, so that the person could watch TV while in bed. Aside from that, nothing was extremely important.

Shadow checked the room and the plan. "_Alex, you really suck at drawing._"

"_Quit the comical comments and help me find clues, okay?" He called in one of the cops. "What do you know about the victim?_"

"_Well, it was a squirrel. We suppose she was somewhere between 20 and 30 years old. Some witnesses who saw the body said they had seen that same squirrel girl follow Sonic around when he was walking in the ballroom to chat with the people of Four-Lakes._"

"_Anything else?_" Shadow asked.

"_Not really. Coroner Hood is investigating further in case the victim had suffered any kind of physical harm._"

"_That will be all, guys,_" Alexis said. "_Now, leave and let the detectives detect, let the investigators investigate._"

As the policemen left, Alexis looked around. "_It`s a good thing lower-graded cops can`t search for tons of clues like we do,_" Shadow said. "_They would have found everything._"

"_Or worse, they would have found nothing,_" Alexis said. "_Okay, let`s look around._"

Alexis removed the bed sheets that touched the floor and looked under the bed. "_I think I just found something._" He reached for the items hidden under the bed and presented them to Shadow. The first one was a long, golden sceptre. Many jewels were placed on one end of it and it ended with a ruby. The second item was an old-styled crown with rich stones around it. It would be extremely expensive. Both had an emerald as main stone. "Don`t those belong to King Sonic?" the coyote asked in English.

"Well, I`m pretty sure they do," Shadow admitted. "But I also think his possessions have already been taken by the FLPD as evidence. Might be possible that his crown and his sceptre have already been taken. In any case, if they didn`t find them in his room, well, we just got them here. …and it would prove Sonic is guilty."

"Osti…" Alexis said.

"Watch your foul mouth Alex," Shadow told his friend. Shadow looked around. "Go check in that closet…"

"Why would I have to do all the damn work?" Alexis asked. "Why don`t YOU go?"

Shadow "Hmpf"`ed. "Yeah, right. I had forgotten I was speaking to Number One lazy cop in Four-Lakes." Shadow opened the closet. Many clothes belonging to the victim were placed on hangers. Some shirts wore an idealized picture of Sonic. The deepest of the closet had a collection of figurines built with Sonic as a model. Beside them there was a figurine of Sally Acorn and another of Amy Rose; both toys had had their heads cut off. "Creepy fangirl," Shadow said on a tone that meant he was glad not to have anyone that crazy about him.

"_Anything else?_" Alexis asked.

"_Just a can of paint. Nothing else aside from all that Sonic merchandise that makes me almost barf._"

Alexis looked on the desk. "Clearly, that chick was thinking she could try and steal Sonic away from Sally. I could just nickname her "Amy2", and we`d have a perfect description of her mental state…"

"Goddamn crazy girl," Shadow said. Both snickered.

Alexis resumed checking the many items on the desk. Among them, mascara, makeup, combs, bottles of gel, and many other objects Alexis had not even a clue what it was, because Annie was never that much of a woman who liked to have all those kinds of tools to ameliorate her face, which wasn`t ugly without anyway. But that was one past step in Alexis` life, he was trying to flip the page… and maybe find someone else to be with. Alexis did notice however two lentils that had a green color. Alexis wondered if the victim was trying those to change her eye color to match Sally`s? It was ridiculous. Sally`s eyes were blue. He had seen her quite often in the People magazines his wife was buying. ...Damn, he was thinking about Annie again! He really had to get her out of his mind. "_Nope, nothing interesting here._"

"_Wait, all we could find was Sonic`s crown and sceptre? That`s now, officially, the worst case ever._"

"_Funny, I thought our problem with crazy hulo fan was worse,_" Alexis pointed out. "_But I think all the clues have been found already. If the cops searched Sonic, they must have found his cell phone and more of his prized possessions. If we didn`t find anything in here, then we can just go back to the Police Department. Unless…_" Alexis opened all of the desk`s drawers and searched through them. The only interesting thing he found was a letter supposedly handwritten by the defendant.

_Dear Q_

_I am sorry, but our relationship cannot last. I tried to keep it as secret as possible to the eyes of my friends and, of course, to my wif__e, but it had become too difficult. You should have guessed that it would end somehow like this. The medias would soon have discovered our little affair and I would have to leave the throne and my powers. I am terribly sorry. Also, I should tell you to get away from me tonight, when I will walk through the crowd of people, you should show no interest in me; our secret could be discovered. If it does, I will ask for an injunction against you._

_Love,_

_Sonic._

"Wow, Sonic really had a lot of trouble," Shadow commented. "I can`t say it`s his writing, `cause I have never seen him write, but it really looks like he had an affair."

"Then that`s evidence against Sonic," Alexis said. "We`re gonna hand it to the JAG attorney when he`ll show up at the court."

"Okay… now, do you think we found everything here?"

"Well, I suppose so. Didn`t find anything suspicious in the closet?" Alexis asked.

"Aside from lots of Sonic collectibles and headless Sally and Amy toys, nothing. Or at least, nothing to help the king. You know what? Sonic`s possessions have been taken from him, they`re at the Police Department, maybe we should go check `em out and also go see what Hood found at the same time."

Alex knocked at the door leading to the lab. Hood opened the door for his friends to enter. They looked at the body, which was covered with a cloth up to the chin; the vision of a naked corpse would be really disgusting. No one wants to see this kind of thing but those who work on investigating said corpses for clues. And that`s exactly what Hood does; his large knowledge of biology is useful to the cops and detectives of Four-Lakes. The only problem is that, due to lack of funds, the FLPD has no way to afford another lab and another coroner, and thus Hood is the only person who can check the victims for clues; this results in an evident lack of social life for the fast-speaking bee, who can still once in a while find a way to go out with his girlfriend Belle.

Hood welcomed them in the creepy room. He was still wearing his lab coat and plastic gloves. He presented them to the corpse.

"_Okay. Question number one, who it is,_" Hood began before the cops even asked a thing. He was still sped up in his speech. "_I called the hospital, they got DNA from everyone. So yeah, the victim is Quadrina. She`s a squirrel as you could guess, 26 years old, no teeth missing, no health problem… until the night that killed her at the Showtel._"

The cops nodded.

"_Next question, what caused her death? Well, there are two special things about her body._" He lowered the cloth a little to present the victim`s neck. Many red marks could be seen circling it. "_Looks like the killer first tried to strangle the lady here. What did they do it with, I have no clue. But one thing is sure, the culprit didn`t use his hands. More like some sort of tool. Anyway, it had to hurt. Question number three, was it what killed her? Actually, the marks aren't deep enough to show a slice at the neck or anything like that. In fact, the victim probably escaped from the killer. Which leads me to the next clue…_" He removed the cloth further, revealing more the body. Alexis and Shadow couldn`t watch more. However, they could see a great bullet hole to the chest. It wasn`t an ordinary bullet hole; it had burns all around it. "_So, I found this injury, which was really… bizarre. I haven`t heard of any weapon that could be so damageable to a body. In any case, the bullet passed through the victim, as a smaller hole can be found on Quadrina`s back. But I`m guessing that weapon must be really dangerous, as – but that`s just a supposition – it burns the victim on contact and burns the organs as it goes through. I don`t think any weapon we know of can do this kind of terrible thing. He who has invented that thing must be really sadistic._" He had said all that in five minutes. "_Got questions?_"

"No, that will be all," Shadow replied. And he left right after the last word. Alexis stayed in the lab.

"_I really wonder how you can even live with searching through dead bodies. I feel like vomiting just by seeing those._"

"_Watch tons of gory movies, don`t be afraid of getting dirty with blood, and don`t be scared of seeing naked guys and gals._"

Alexis left, disgusted, without another word than "_bye man_". He was wondering how Hood could have gotten a girlfriend with her knowing about his job. He just supposed she didn`t care about it.

Shadow checked the evidence room for a series of plastic bags labelled "Sonic". The said bags contained objects found on Sonic. One held his wallet, and two had different cell phones, although those two were labelled "Sonic" as well. Sonic had a private cell phone for his personal calls. As an example, is he had to call his wife Sally to ask her how her day was, or something along those lines, he would use that one. The second cell phone was used for affairs; it was extremely important, as Sonic had the phone numbers of a lot of influent characters. Anyone holding this information could use it for a dark goal. Both cell phones had a program thanks to which past dialled numbers and spoken conversations were recorded. For the case here, the numbers that were dialled during that day before the murder were to be investigated. Nothing else could be found. Shadow knew the clues found in the hotel room were going to help them. He needed to go get them in the car. The sceptre, the crown and the letter would definitely play against Sonic in this case. But for as long as they can`t think of another place to look at, they have only that.

Alexis arrived in the evidence room and stared at the three objects. "_Two cell phones? Sonic must be rich._"

"_He`s a king, idiot. He got more precious stones than a jewelry store._" Shadow replaced the items back in the drawer, and left the room with Alexis. "_So, how`s Hood doing?_" he asked, while faking some interest.

"_Well, he seems to think his job is the bee`s knees,_" Alexis joked. "_But I think it`s yucky anyway. It`s not because you constantly live with murders and crimes of all kinds that you like seeing dead people._"

"_I guess we should report our discoveries to your boss, Alex,_" Shadow pointed out. "I`ll go get the three clues. You go to his office. I`ll follow soon."

Alexis and Shadow separated following that plan. Shadow disappeared through the front door of the Police Department. Alexis reached Oxen`s office and knocked to the door. He could hear his boss speaking to someone, but the voices were muffled by the door. Oxen came to the door and opened it for his best detective.

"_What are the news, boss?_" Alexis asked.

"_Well, the JAG attorney just arrived. I was talking about the case and it looks like a plan is building up to save Sonic._"

"_And who is it?_" Alexis asked, looking at the green hedgehog. He could only see the hedgehog`s clothed back. The attorney turned to stare at Alexis. It was a woman… ad a gorgeous woman at that.

To be continued in next chapter!


	3. Trial, day 1

Disclaimer: I don`t own the Sonic series. I don`t own Ventuss, who is sprx`s OC. Thanks to him for spell-checking, proof-reading and detail-adding work.

* * *

Chapter 3

An emerald green hedgehog with long quills that went a little passed the middle of her back and blue ocean eyes was standing in the office. She was in a typical set of khaki pants and a plain tee shirt. She didn't appear to be much for fashion. A black jacket was even being worn, meaning this must be some casual attire. Despite that, her plain attire wasn't enough to hide her more distinguishing features, like her eyes, and the air of minor superiority that she seemed to have with her.

"_Alexis? Alexis?_" Oxen snapped his fingers just in front of the cop`s face. Alexis shook his head.

"Huh? What?" Alexis said, snapping back to reality. He was just surprised that the JAG attorney was a woman. Considering that the JAG is the army`s lawyer association, he was sure it would actually be a guy. But women can do just any job they want to do, right? After all, there were policewomen in Four-Lakes` Police Department.

"Hi, I am Second Lieutenant Ventuss," the green hedgehog said, walking toward the coyote. Alexis gave a salute after hearing the rank, but she moved the hand and went for a hand shake. A tad bit unusual for a military lawyer.

"I'm Alexis. Your name reminds me of something in a video game, but I can't seem to put my finger on it…"

"My parents really liked video games, and they feminized a name that belonged to a male character in a large RPG series. In fact, it suits me well."

"I got to agree on that, miss Ventuss," Alexis added.

"Call me Ven outside of court. I`m not even in my attorney attire yet."

Alexis scratched the left side of his head from behind with his right hand, and asked: "But where are you living at during the time you`re here?"

"The JAG is renting to me a hotel room for the whole time I will be here," she answered.

Oxen, annoyed by this English-spoken dialog, snapped them back to reality. "_We got a case to complete, remember? Sonic`s trial begins today at 3:00 PM! It`s already noon, and it takes two hours to get to the court, in Station Square!_"

"_Why the hell has it to happen in Station Square anyway? Alexis asked. "I mean, we got one here, right?_"

"_Think about it, Sherlock. Sonic has enough troubles understanding us in French, let alone speaking it to explain his version of the story,_" Oxen explained. "_If he tries explaining it all in French, he will just trip over his own words._"

"He's got a point there, mister Alexis," Ventuss said.

"Just Alexis will be fine," Alexis corrected. "_By the way, Shadow should be coming in with a few pieces of evidence._"

"So That`s where Shadow the hedgehog was! I always wondered why he wasn`t working under Sonic."

"He`s too proud to work under his rival, Ven," Alexis hypothesized. "_Besides, I think we need to head to Station Square right now. I don`t think it would be great for Sonic if his attorney was late, huh?_"

Shadow arrived right there in Oxen`s office with the crown, the sceptre and the letter. "Alexis, Sonic`s trial begins in three hours, we got to go now! Hey, who`s that girl?"

"…Sonic`s JAG attorney."

"Oh, by the way, I was brought here to meet the detectives in charge of the case, and to pick up the evidence. But I don`t have any way to travel to Station Square. I came here from the docks in a cab. If one of you would like to drive me to the great city, it would be very appreciated," Ven said.

"Well, I can drive you there," Shadow offered. "I know Station Square pretty well; I can send you directly to the court."

"Never mind Shad, I will," Alexis replied. "For the investigation, we used your car. I got to use my Sonix Aero 3250."

"Oh Alexis, Is your car a brand new one?" Ven asked.

"Yeah, the last one got blown up by a witness murderer. Anyway, please follow me; I will escort you to the court."

"I hope you got better driving skills than before," Shadow said, smirking.

"I`ll be careful, man. I will be driving an important person to her workplace. It`s thanks to her that Sonic can be declared not guilty, she has to stay alive!"

"I`ll bring the evidence there in my own car then," Shadow said.

"I`m hearing you two," Ventuss told them. She followed them to Alexis` car. "And I`d prefer to arrive earlier, and in one piece. I have an attorney three-piece suit to put on once there…" She didn't seem too happy about that last statement.

"Okay. One lady attorney on the go!" Alexis said, embarking behind the steering wheel, at the same time unlocking the passenger door. Ventuss entered the Sonix Aero and buckled her seatbelt. Alexis then drove off toward the court located in Station Square. Alexis changed the radio channel to one where rock music could be heard.

Two hours later, both finally arrived at Station Square`s Courthouse. Ventuss hurried to the closest bathrooms to change into her attorney suit, which she really disliked because of its only colors being black and white, it also had her rank which was a gold bar and a few ribbons and medals from her work (on the other hand, any other color would not look too serious for an attorney suit).

Shadow entered the place with the numerous pieces of evidence: Sonic`s crown and sceptre, the letter, both cell phones and Sonic`s wallet.

"Thanks for bringing them here, Shadow," Ventuss told the black hedgehog. "I`ll have them on my side. I hope I can get Sonic out of trouble today. Tomorrow at best. And if I can't, well, shame on me."

"Any idea on who will represent the prosecution?" Shadow asked. He looked around the lobby. Aside from other witnesses, there were not many people. As for whoever looked like an attorney, there was Ven and a green bird. He looked weirdly familiar but was also kinda different at the same time… he had two large tufts of feathers over the head, and those resembled hair in the way they were placed. He also had a tail of feathers protruding from behind, through a small hole in his prosecutor pants. He was also wearing the complete clothing for a prosecutor, but he had added a red bandana to the clothing, although he wore it around the neck, and he also had red shoes.

"I got a feeling that the court is gonna be real green," Shadow said with irony. "Mostly if that guy is doing the prosecution." He pointed toward the bird.

"Him? That's Bean the Dynamite," Ven said. "I heard he was a rather good prosecutor, when he wasn`t gone on a rant about explosives." She chuckled. "People say he was bizarre when he was young, he wanted to be a bomber or anything related to explosives. But when he matured, he really got the likes for justice, although he kept his… booming personality."

"I have read Sonic will be judged by Gavel. He`s a real old hedgehog – I think it`s like, the first time I see a hedgehog with a moustache – and he likes to slam his gavel on the desk."

"Talk about a predestined name to become a judge," Alexis remarked. "Anyway, it`s about time to enter the court."

Judge Gavel knocked his desk with the small hammer. "Now begins the trial of Sonic the Hedgehog for the murder of Quadrina. Is the attorney ready?"

"Yes, Your Honour," Ventuss answered.

"Care to remind me your name, miss…"

"Ventuss, Your Honour."

"I don`t remember seeing you in Station Square," Gavel said.

"I'm not from here, I'm a JAG attorney. This case involves King Sonic, and my job is to help prevent international tensions from rising because of that problem. No one wants a war to happen between Station Square and Robotropolis," she explained.

"Ah, okay. Is the prosecution ready to refute?" the judge asked.

"Yes sir!" the green bird from before said. "Bean the Dynamite's in the place, and he`s gonna blow your minds!"

Gavel coughed. "Yes, yes. But blowing stuff is not the point here. You need to look for the truth and the truth only. You should have left your dynamite at home."

"But I'm a Dynamite! The kind of bird, y`know…"

"Yes, yes, I know. Please get ready for today's case, which seems rather complicated. Let the defendant enter."

Sonic entered. He was wearing handcuffs. Without his crown, his sceptre, and his fur cape, he looked just like the 15 years old Sonic, only almost twice older.

"Decline your name, age and occupation," Gavel asked.

"Sonic the Hedgehog, 29 years old, King of Robotropolis, married to Queen Sally Acorn."

"Lots of important stuff! You're a lucky hog, man!" Bean yelled.

"Um… thanks?" Sonic said.

"Can we start?" Ventuss asked. "I have a job to do, and it requires this trial to begin."

"Do you have the pieces of evidence on your side?" Judge Gavel asked.

"Yes, Your Honour."

"Use them well!" Bean commented. "`Cause today, I`ll be your worst enemy."

"You wouldn`t dare, would you?" Ven yelled.

"You betcha!" Bean answered on the same volume.

"Silence in the court!" Gavel yelled, slamming the gavel on his desk. "Silence in the court! Someone might hear us. Let us hear the facts, prosecutor Bean."

"So, King Sonic is suspected in having killed Quadrina, one of his biggest fans. She has been seen around him during a ball held at the Showtel in Four-Lakes. She was nagging him constantly, and she ran to her room after he insulted her. After giving a short speech in French, he spoke to someone on his cell phone and left to the first floor. Do you have a hypothesis, Miss Ventuss?" Bean asked.

"How about giving your own idea first?" Ventuss replied with another question. Sonic looked very embarrassed as he knew Bean didn`t really like him.

"My idea? Well, detective Shadow the Hedgehog has let me have a look at all the clues before the trial."

"_Damn_!" Alexis muttered. "_We`re dead._" He was watching the trial through a big television in the lobby.

"_Laws are laws, man,_" Shadow added. "_I had no choice. In Station Square, the prosecution can have a look at any clue if he wants to. Shut up and listen._"

"Well…" Bean began. "My idea is that King Sonic had another woman in his life – Quadrina, of course. He was afraid that Sally would find out. He wrote to her a letter explaining they were breaking up. Quadrina, angry, decided to expose their secret. She kept being near him when he was walking through the crowd. He got mad and yelled at her, so she ran away crying. After he finished his speech, he spoke to an unknown someone on the phone. The only thing he said was "Procedure 1-4-3". He was talking to Quadrina, it meant he was going to see her again despite his rough attitude. He went to her room and, Ka-Boom! He killed her. Then, he ran back to his room, since he was fast enough to be there before the people who heard the scream arrive upstairs."

Sonic shook his head. "That`s ridiculous! I didn`t even know that girl`s name until five minutes ago!"

It was totally stupid. Ven didn`t believe such a crazy idea. But it sounds like Bean was convinced it was reality. She had to prove he was wrong by using the clues. "Why don`t we ask Sonic his version then?" she suggested.

"Agreed. Hearing the accused`s version would clear many points. Or darken them more. In any case, Sonic shall be heard. If you please, King Sonic, we will listen to your testimony."

"Okay," Sonic said before taking long breaths. "I swear it to you that I have never seen that girl in my life! It was my second time in Four-Lakes, and I`m guessing she was from there. I have never written any letter to her, nor have I spoken to her! The only time I did was to tell her to get away, because she was getting way annoying. I mean, come on! I`m a married hedgehog, I even have a child! I just had to be part of that ball, speak to the people, and then leave a few days after that ball!"

Bean rubbed the under of his beak (a few feathers from his neck protruded to look like a small beard goat) and chuckled. "Fine, King Sonic. We believe you on that one. But! What about the letter?"

"Which letter?" Sonic asked, not knowing what Bean meant.

"The letter that has been found in Quadrina`s room, duh! It has handwriting perfectly similar to yours! Ka-Boom!" Bean said in a triumphant tone. "Ven, hand it to him."

Ven did so. Sonic read through the letter, and his face changed from surprised to scared. "…That`s… that`s really my handwriting! But… but someone might have copied it!"

"Impossible," Bean said. "Like you said, it was only your second time in Four-Lakes. You haven`t spent enough time there for someone to see you writing anything that long and be able to copy your handwriting." Bean laughed. "You rigged your own bomb!"

Ven smirked. "Nice play with the expression "digging your own tomb", prosecutor Bean. But Sonic is right. Someone might have copied his writing. Who knows, maybe something handwritten by Sonic has been brought here, and someone used it to copy his writing style." Ven took back the letter. "You know what? It proves nothing… for now. But I do have one or two questions to ask King Sonic." She turned to Sonic, who felt pitiful on the chair where the accused person sit. "Please tell me, King Sonic. You say the only time you have spoken to her is when you told her to get away, right?"

"Totally. I mean, she was even more annoying than Amy Rose was when I was 15! And I don`t like girls who keep sticking around me just because I`m a hero or a star… That`s partly why I refused to be with Amy. The second reason is that, if I had begun dating Amy, she would have been targeted by Eggman`s attacks. And although she was annoying, I would never want her to be harmed. But that squirrel girl was far more annoying, and though there was no danger – or so I thought – I still didn`t want such a crazed fan following me everywhere." Sonic had said that with the most sincere tone Ventuss had heard in a long time in a courtroom from a suspected person.

"That explains more than enough. Now, second question. Why was this ball made for, exactly?"

"Well, I had to talk affairs with a rich owner based in Four-Lakes. He needed my help to get money for the construction of a building that reminded of Robotropolis`. You do know Robotropolis isn`t really close to here, and I knew I had to stay away for a few days. I invited some of my friends, and v-mailed to others who had decided to stay and live in Station Square, and told them that, to celebrate my second visit to Four-Lakes, I was preparing a ceremony in the hotel I had rented a room in. Of course, I had paid rooms to all my friends who had followed me."

"Well, that explains enough, right?" Bean said. "Now that we got that straight in the picture, how about checking the other details and correcting them?" Bean rubbed again his green goat as if he was thinking. "Tell us about the night`s events."

"Fine…" Sonic said. He thought about what he was going to say, and began. "At first, I was walking through the crowd, thanking the people of Four-Lakes for their hospitality. Then, the squirrel girl arrived, and was nagging me, so I insulted her – I`m not too proud of it. Anyway, I had to make a speech soon, so I walked to the stage and spoke. When it was over, I called someone on my cell phone and then, I left back toward my room to rest. That`s just minutes after that I heard the scream."

"Ready for cross-examination, miss Ventuss?" Judge Gavel asked.

"I am, Your Honour," the JAG attorney answered. "So, King Sonic, you do mention that, after your speech, you dialled a number and spoke to someone on your cell phone. Can you tell us, once again, what did you say?"

"…well, the only thing I said was "Procedure 1-4-3". No hello, no goodbye, not even any name mentioned."

"Ka-Boom!" Bean yelled. "You say 1-4-3, so, it's something like a hundred and forty-three, right?"

"Why, I guess so…" Sonic said.

"Well, didn't you know that 143 is the number of love?"

"OBJECTION!" Ven yelled, surprising everyone in the courtroom by her decibels. "This affirmation has nothing to do with the case at hand!"

"In fact, it could," Bean answered. "The number 143 represents the number of letters in the words forming the expression "I love you". I, one letter. Love, four letters. You, three letters. However, we have three options. The first option is that Procedure 143 means, indeed, "I Love You", and he was speaking to Quadrina, telling her he was coming to see her at her room; the second option is that he WAS saying "I Love You", but his call was directed to Sally Acorn; Finally, it is possible that 143 represents here something totally different, although we don`t know what yet. What is your pick, lady Ventuss?" Bean asked mischievously. "Watch out not to end up on a bombardment spot!"

Ven thought for a few seconds. "I`ll take a risk. Let`s say it means something totally different. Am I right, King Sonic?"

"You are!" Sonic screamed. "I didn`t know about the fact that 1-4-3 was the number of love. But how did you guess?"

"Well, I deducted that you were not speaking to Quadrina, since you claim of not knowing her. I also deducted that you certainly weren`t speaking to your wife Sally. If you were, then why add "Procedure" before the number? And besides, when speaking to your wife, you would have said much more than just that," Ventuss explained, clearly proud of her deduction skills, which nearly matched a detective`s. Sonic nodded to all that.

"_Hey, she`s excellent at deduction!_" Alexis said, raising his two thumbs toward the screen thanks to which he and Shadow were watching the trial.

"_She`s an attorney, she has to be deductive at points,_" Shadow added. "_Come on, Alexis, it`s impossible for idiots to become lawyers. What did you think anyway?_"

"Please tell us, Sonic," Bean began, "what does "Procedure 1-4-3" means anyway? Oh, and who were you talking to?"

Sonic gulped. "I was speaking to Tails. He`s kind of my second-in-command. He`s the one leading the troops when I`m too busy. He is also the one in charge if security. As for procedure 1-4-3, the 1 means "possible witnessing", the 4 means "very possible danger", and 3 refers to "an old threat". We have a whole code like this."

"So you say you might have witnessed a very possible danger from an old threat?" Bean asked, mixing the three affirmations.

"Why, it makes sense!" Ventuss yelled. "He was speaking to the crowd. Thus, he could see everyone in the room! If anyone reminded him too much of an old enemy of his, and it looked really suspicious, he just had to call Tails and he would make sure to stop said threat!"

"You got it, Ventuss," Sonic said. "It`s that simple. Well, I hope it clears up that mysterious phone call."

"It sure does!" Bean said. "That`s vital information! Come to think of it, now the trial is open to suspicion on about every single enemy Sonic has had in the past! Who was it exactly, Sonic?"

"I… I`m sorry… I can't say it," Sonic said. "Like I said, I POSSIBLY witnessed someone dangerous. It might not be him or her. And it would be unfair to arrest someone innocent only because that Mobian looks like an old enemy of mine, and I don`t want anything like that to happen."

"Yeah, that sure wouldn't be too great…" Ventuss commented. "My last question for now: When you left toward your room, did anything happen?"

"No, nothing," Sonic said. "I just climbed the staircase and walked toward the Suite I had reserved, which is Room 101. I slipped in my bed and tried to drift to sleep, but it didn`t work. Just minutes later I heard that scream. But I was way closer to the crime scene than everyone else. Let me tell you, that squirrel got chords of steel. …anyway, I was still in my bed when people rushed to the first floor. Why did I get arrested? I really have no clue. Just what could lead people to think I was in her room?"

"Do I have a piece of evidence or a reasoning to explain it?" Ventuss thought. "I shouldn`t be ruining my own client, mostly because he is Sonic, legendary hedgehog… but I can`t seem to find any way to explain this without evidence…" She looked at the evidence she had on her side, and she found out what she could present. She took the sceptre and the crown and raised them so that everyone could see them. "Those two items were found under Quadrina`s bed, in her room. I guess someone looked there and found those two objects and reported you to the police."

"WHAT?" Sonic yelled. "How could my crown and my sceptre end up in that girl`s room?"

"Ka-BOOM!" Bean yelled in a triumphant tone. "Now, that`s the greatest clue ever! Ventuss, you just rigged your own bomb!" He laughed out loud. "NOW, SONIC! Prove to us that everything you said earlier wasn`t lies. Do you even think you can do it? That`s perfect proof against you, and it jeopardizes everything else you have said until now!"

Sonic was trembling. He was sweating bullets, and he was extremely scared. Ventuss could see he was trying to find an answer to this dare Bean had just thrown to him. After long seconds of an awkward silence, Sonic took deep breaths and answered. "I never did it. I have no clue how this crown and this sceptre could end up under her bed, but I never did it."

"Then, what were your two items doing under Quadrina`s bed?" Bean asked.

"I have no idea! But I have something to admit. When I was walking through the crowd, I wasn't wearing my real crown nor holding my real sceptre," Sonic admitted.

"Why?" Ventuss asked.

"Just imagine that I would be wearing my real crown and my real sceptre, and suddenly somebody steals them from me. What the hell would I do?" Sonic asked. "Chase the robber? Report to the police? Any idea is too risky. Thus, when I have to go in crowded places, instead of wearing my real crown and my real sceptre, I actually wear tin copies. It`s just tin with gold paint on it, and the stones are fake. The illusion is perfect. And whenever I want to know which one is the real, I scratch a little bit of paint, and if I see a grey color under it, then it`s the fake item."

"You`re full of resources," Bean noted. "It`s very smart of you, it`s a very bright idea. How did you get it?"

"Tails did. He`s an excellent strategist. As of now I have never won a game against him at Risk, when we`re playing during peaceful times in Robotropolis. Anyway, that night, during the ball, when I was walking in the crowd, I was wearing those fake items," Sonic explained. "I was wearing them during my speech as well. Then, I left for my room. Nothing special happened during that time…" Sonic felt uneasy all of a sudden.

"You have a suspicious face right now, King Sonic," Bean said. "Are you SURE you`re not hiding anything?"

"OBJECTION!" Ventuss said. "Don`t press further on my client. It`s my job to cross-examine a testimony. Let me do my job!"

"Objection accepted," Gavel said. "You can press on the accused, miss Ventuss."

"Thanks, Your Honor. So, Sonic, you say nothing special happened. Can you explain to us why you don`t look so sure about it?"

"Uh… …well, nothing happened to me. But when I entered my room, I didn`t find my real crown and my real sceptre. At first, I thought that I had just put them somewhere else. When I heard the scream, I had no idea what was going on. I stayed in my bedroom, because I knew people would go see what was going on. It would have been even riskier that someone would enter my suite and steal something, like my wallet or one of my cell phones. I stayed in my bed, under the covers, as if nothing has happened. I had my eyes open, so I looked around the room, and, to my great fear, my crown and my sceptre were gone. Only the fake ones were there."

"So you say they had been stolen before you entered your room?" Bean asked.

"Well, that`s it," Sonic answered. "And they could have been put in the victim`s room to incriminate me."

"Well, we got the crown and the sceptre found in Quadrina`s room by detectives Alexis Depardieu Coolette and Shadow the hedgehog." She handed them to Sonic, who inspected them.

"They're not mine! Mine have a sapphire as main precious stone. Those ones have a different stone!"

"Wait, are you sure about it?"

"As sure as my wife is Sally Acorn!" the King answered again.

"I guess the case is closed for now," Bean said. "We have two hands on the steering wheel… but four wheels deep in the mud. We`re not moving, all we know is that Sonic has POSSIBLY been framed for murder by someone who has set clues targeting him. Now, we need to find more clues and, possibly, witnesses or other suspects."

"This closes today`s trial. It shall continue in two days, following the new discoveries by detectives Alexis Depardieu Coolette and Shadow the hedgehog. Court is adourned for today."

Ventuss came back from the bathrooms. She had packed her JAG suit and was back in the attire she was wearing before the trial.

"You were excellent, Ven," Alexis said.

"Are you crazy?" she yelled. "I have almost sent him to jail twice!"

"Don`t get mad about that," Shadow said. "He`s still a faker anyway."

Ven shook her head. "No, I'm ashamed. I tried to prove he was innocent, and we`re not sure yet. I'm counting on you two to find someone else to bring here. I hope I haven`t been too bad…"

"Quit worrying, Ventuss," Alexis said. "You actually did very well. You guessed some things faster than I would have. Um… say, you have a few days to spend around here…"

"…yes?" Ventuss asked.

"…would you like me to show you around Four-Lakes?" Alexis suggested.

"…I dunno… it`s not well-seen when a detective and an attorney, working on the same case, are seen together… people would think you`re trying to influence me to adopt your vision of the case. …but…"

"…but what?" Alexis asked.

"…it`s true that I have been to Four-Lakes before, and it would be fun to be sort of a tourist for once. Each time I`m traveling, it`s for work. I really need to take a break sometimes. Well, maybe tomorrow, or in two days…"

"Okay then!" Alexis said happily. "You`ll see, we have a really great city. But do you speak fluent French?"

"_More than you think, actually. I am rather good in speaking French, thanks to classes in high school._"

Alexis was surprised. "Oh cool! We`ll plan this later. I have to go back to Four-Lakes. Tomorrow, Shadow and I got a huge day of work. See you in two days then. Bye!"

Alexis left the court with Shadow. Ven looked at them leave. She had to get to the hotel the Army was paying her a room in for the time she had to stay in during her time in Station Square.

The door to the lobby opened again, revealing an Alexis who had come back on his tracks, and was now asking: "Um, how about I give you a ride to the hotel you'll be in?"

To be continued...


	4. Investigation, day 2

I own none of the original characters here. Alexis, Flamme, the locksmith, and others are mine. Ventuss is property of sprx777, who I also gotta thank for writing a big part of the battle on this chapter.

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Chapter 4: Investigation, day 2

Alexis entered the Showtel for the third time in three days. Shadow was already there, discussing with a butler. When the black hedgehog saw the coyote enter, he walked to him. "Alexis, good news and bad news. The…"

"Me first," Alexis began. "Before entering this hotel, I got some information. Apparently, during the party, some people outside saw a fox and a hedgehog enter the hotel by the emergency door. You know, the one people would use in case of a fire…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Who told you that?" Shadow asked.

"Little birdies told me."

"Tell me SERIOUSLY, Alex. We don`t have time to joke here. We`re on a crime scene. Who was it?"

Alexis sighed. "Okay… It was Jet, Wave and Storm. They were doing some Extreme Gear stunts outside. And on your side, anything new?"

Shadow pointed toward the butler, who was lazily reading a people magazine on a chair, in the huge ballroom. "I asked him a few pointers on what we saw yesterday in Quadrina`s room. Apparently, the staff isn`t doing repairs or decorations of any kind, which means the pot of paint I found in Quadrina`s closet had actually nothing to do in there." He paused, and continued. "Next thing he told me is that there were very few people on the first floor during the ball. Almost everyone was dancing in this same room we`re standing."

Alexis scratched his head. He began walking toward the first floor. That case was getting more and more complicated every hour. He and Shadow entered Quadrina`s room again, the scent of dried blood filled their nostrils. The chalk-drawn silhouette was still on the floor, but it was now surrounded by yellow ribbons on which were written "CRIME SCENE – DO NOT APPROACH". Everything was at the same place as it was when they left the day before. The cops had enough memory to register what was where, and see what could have been moved during the afternoon. Overall, the room was the same; but both cops noticed a change on the desk. The beauty products were almost all gone from the desk, the only thing that had been kept there was the green lentils.

"The case has reached a whole new level of complicatedness," Shadow pointed out.

Alexis grabbed the lentils and put them in a plastic bag. He theorized that, if someone had broke in the room last afternoon and had brought or hid everything else than those lentils, then it means they had some importance… but that also meant that either the murderer was back to rob the victim from more of her possessions, either the cops had a witness or a helper who was helping them into finding more clues.

Shadow stared in the large mirror on the desk. It could be flipped. Shadow flipped it and found a key card behind it. It was clearly written "Room #167" on a side of it. "Looks like we got two more clues," Shadow added. The detective walked to the closet and grabbed the pot of paint. He read what was the color`s full name was. Strangely, it was "Crimson Cobalt Blue". But even stranger things were in the closet; after further inspection, Shadow saw a key that wasn`t there yesterday. He also picked it up, hoping that someone would know what it was supposed to unlock.

"That makes four more clues, actually. Well, it also proves that we have an ally of some kind; who would willingly leave clues behind?"

"Well, clues are clues, and if anything is wrong with them, we`d better check them out. The Showtel is close to Four-Lakes` downtown. There`s a locksmith by there. I`ll try to find out what this key can unlock. As for you, I think you have a room to check," Alexis resumed, throwing the key card labelled "#167" to Shadow.

"Is that an order?" Shadow asked.

"No, it`s a suggestion. I know Four-Lakes better than you do. That`s why, while I go to the locksmith, you could go and try to find clues in room 167. Even better, you could just go ask who had rented that room."

Shadow sighed and frowned. "Fine. You better come back with answers."

"Count on me."

Alexis left the Showtel and drove to the locksmith. Shadow walked back to the front desk where the owner, an old, dislikeable human named Dunning, was lazily reading a book on entrepreneurship. Shadow rung the small bell on the desk, and the old man stopped his reading. "_What can I do for ya?_"

"_I`m Shadow the Hedgehog, detective from Station Square. I am on a case that requires me to know who…_" He presented to him the key card. "_…rented this room on the night of the murder."_

The man searched into his papers, finally took out an old book where he most likely held the names of past clients from the last month or so (Seriously, hadn`t he ever heard of a computer?), flipped the pages to the date of the ball, and looked for the room number in the list. "_The lady ya`re lookin` for is a certain miss Flamme the Hedgehog. I think she had red quills._"

"_Um… thanks. Do you happen to know her address?_"

"_Sorry, Sir, all we can ask for in this hotel is a phone number. But if ya really need it…_" He ripped off the page in his booklet. _"…then, you can try calling her, but I can't guarantee she`s gonna answer. I`m not checking on all my clients after they left, y`know._"

"Thanks anyway." Shadow left on that. His job was over in the Showtel. Now, all he had to do was to call Flamme and get some answers.

Alexis entered the local Locksmith, whose door had "Open" written in luminescent letters. The place was dusty as can be, and the only furniture seen here was the front desk. A male bird was standing behind, staring at all the keys hung to the wall behind him.

"_Excuse me…_" Alexis began.

"_Yes?_" the locksmith said.

"_I`m on a case right now, and I need to know what this key is made to unlock. I think you know what every key you have behind you unlocks, right?_"

"_Yes, let me have a look at it please. Hand it to me._" The locksmith compared the key to all the keys behind him, and turned back to Alexis with a house number on a paper. "_This is the place you`ll find what you need. Some pieces of the puzzle might be discovered here._"

"_Um… uh… thanks,_" Alexis said, trying to speak like the locksmith.

"_Come back anytime, mister Alexis,_" the locksmith finally said as Alexis was leaving.

Halfway through, Alexis just realized what the locksmith said. "_Wait… how do you know my name?_"

"_I read your detective badge,_" the locksmith muttered.

Alexis left the shop, calling himself an idiot for not guessing that one out. Once outside, he called Shadow. He told him what he had found out. He told him about the weird locksmith that looked rather suspicious, about the location that key was made to unlock, and he told him to join there in an hour. On this, he closed his cell phone and left to the house that would seemingly hide some remaining "pieces of the puzzle".

Shadow took deep breaths and finally rung to the door. After two or three minutes, someone came and answered. It was a red hedgehog, clearly a woman, as she was wearing a dress. "_Miss Flamme?_"

The hedgehog went wide-eyed. _"…aren`t you… Aren`t you Shadow the Hedgehog? The real Shadow? Wow!_"

"_Hey, calm down, please. It`s already bad enough that Sonic has crazy fans always around him, I don`t want to have that trouble too. I`m a married hedgehog._"

Flamme got a little mad from what Shadow said, as he clearly called her a crazy fan. But she kept calm, and answered to his question. "_Yes, that`s me. What are you here for?_"

Shadow took out his detective badge. "_I`m from Station Square Police Department. I am presently trying to stop a conspiracy against King Sonic the Hedgehog. And one of the clues has linked us to you._"

"_What the Hell? Are you accusing me?_" Flamme yelled.

"_NO! Of course not,_" Shadow said. "_Let me explain._"

Shadow told everything to the hedgehog he had in front of him: Quadrina murdered, Sonic framed, the clues found, the trial, and then the second part of the investigation that morning, with the new clues discovered in the room. "_One of the clues was a key card; that one key card was used to unlock the door to your room. Since there is apparently no connection between you and the murder, I do wonder how your key card could have ended up there._"

Flamme sighed. "_Well, I have no idea how it got there," she admitted. "However, I know what happened on that night. Horrible murder, even I heard it from my room._"

"_…That means you were on the first floor when the murder occurred?_"

"_Yes…_" Flamme said, blushing redder than her quills. "_That night, I was alone. I had a break-up with my boyfriend a week before. I was alone during the ball. I just spent my time drinking at the bar._"

"_What does it have to do with the case at hand?_" Shadow said.

"_Well, while I was still in an okay state of mind, someone began flirting with me. He was speaking funny. It was something like broken French, as if he wasn`t too good with it. Anyway, he offered me a few drinks, and when I got drunk enough, he told us we could get more intimate in my hotel room…_"

"_I see where it is going…_" Shadow pointed out.

"_Anyone could have seen where my story`s going. Anyway, he and I did it, and when I fell asleep, he left. Beats me why he disappeared. But when I woke up because of the scream, he was gone. I don`t know where he was gone._" Flamme began crying.

"_Do you… do you remember what that flirter looked like?_" Shadow asked.

"_Sadly… no, sorry._"

"_Well, thank you for this information. I hope it will help,_" Shadow said. "I have a bad feeling that the guy who went to your room is the same one who killed the victim in this case."

Flamme was crying even more now, but from knowing she might have spent a night with a murderer. "_I hope it helps you too…_" She grabbed some tissues and dried off the tears on her cheeks. She was crying because she wasn`t the one-night stand kind of girl, and she had been tricked into that.

Shadow turned back to her before leaving. "_Miss Flamme, if you remember more details about what happened, please call my cell phone number._" He quickly wrote a series of numbers on a paper, clearly his cell phone number, and handed it to her. "_Thank you, miss._" Shadow left Flamme`s house, and his cell phone rung. He quickly answered it. "_Hello?_"

"_Hey Shadow._" It was Alexis. He told him about the weird locksmith, the "missing pieces" the locksmith talked about, and told him to join to the location in an hour. Shadow would be able to run to there in less time than that. As for Alexis, he`d take Shadow`s car to get there. Once his cell phone closed, Shadow skated away to the location Alexis told him.

It didn't even take Shadow fifteen minutes and he had already reached the place. Alexis had the key, so it was useless to try and enter. …or maybe he could try to unlock it with an unfolded paperclip. And he realized he didn`t have any.

Shadow looked around. He had nothing better to do until Alexis arrives; what if it was a trap? Two cops are better than one to face this kind of ambush – well, if it was one. If a whole gang of thugs were in there, no matter how strong Shadow is, he might have troubles defeating them. It might be worse if they have powers. He needed the random factor on his side; Alexis` moves could be totally unpredictable. While looking around, Shadow noticed that house was close to a plateau. More like a mountain`s base, which would be approximately fifteen feet high, and then a large field atop this. It could be the perfect place for a fight, if there was going to be any.

Shadow also thought about Flamme`s confidences. It didn`t seem to have anything to do with the case at hand. Then, why was that key card in the victim`s room? Something to mess their investigation? And what if-TCHACK!

Shadow stopped thinking when someone or something crashed onto him, throwing him off-guard. On the ground, Shadow tried to see whoever or whatever had attacked him. And when he finally saw the person, he couldn`t believe it, for the simple reason that the character had been gone for more than ten years.

Cool shades, black leather shirt with flame designs, and a green fluorescent-like color for the quills. That couldn`t be HIM. It couldn`t be Scourge the Hedgehog, king of Moebius!

"Long time no see, emo," the villain said with an evil smirk.

"Never thought I would see you again, faker," Shadow commented. "How`s life on Moebius?"

"Fine enough. I`ve kept myself in a battle shape by conquering more Zones of my world. With evil outta yer world, no wonder yer` not as strong as before, emo!"

Shadow rose to his feet. "You`re going DOWN!" And he skated full speed toward Scourge.

Scourge could only smirk as he ran towards the black and red hedgehog. Both clashed with their fists hitting one another, and they were face to face. Shadow was a little less than happy at being called an emo. It wasn't his fault that he had black and red fur. Either way, he quickly went into a spin dash and knocked Scourge to a wall. Scourge grunted from having his back quills slam against the bricks of a house, but he got over it long enough to counter with a spin dash of his own. Shadow, being a veteran of combat, evaded with some grace added to it when he landed on his feet, completely unharmed.  
"Just because it's peaceful, doesn't mean that I am not tough enough to take you on." Shadow said coldly to the emerald hedgehog.

Scourge returned to standing state and looked down at Shadow, "Oh, puh-leese! Ya couldn't take me on if it were my world. Besides, ya'll just be another stepping stone I'll take into conquering this world."

"That dream again? Hate to burst a hole in your dream boat, but that will never happen. Or do I need to remind you of that incide-", Shadow started before seeing Scourge charging down at him with another spin dash.

Scourge landed a hit this time and sent Shadow into some trash cans, "Shut up about that crap. You think you`re so cool just `cause ya and those other hedgehogs stopped me, but you`re really mistaken." He charged again with a spindash.

Shadow sighed and just kicked the spinning Scourge into other trashcans and said, "Can we save the banter for later?"

"Gladly!" Scourge said while whipping some crud off of his jacket.

Both went into spindash and began clashing with one another. To be honest, Shadow was just toying with him. He knew he could end it with a few good punches to the gut, or a kick to the head, but considering that things have been boring as of late, he wanted to enjoy another good fight. The two continued to clash for a few minutes with one spin dash after the other. Both suddenly spin dashed toward the plateau located behind the house Shadow was about to check. When they were on this high yet flat piece of land, they got back to their feet. In less time than needed to say "piece of cake", Shadow ran to Scourge and punched him hard enough to make him fly up. "You have no idea how satisfying that was."

Scourge gritted his teeth and looked up at Shadow's hand that was holding the Chaos Emerald. He grew angry and started bombarding the hedgehog with faster spin dashed and a few good kicks for added measure. But Shadow continued to evade and toy with him. However, at one point, Scourge bluffed in his manoeuvre and actually attacked the other way than Shadow was thinking the green hedgehog was going to do. And just before Shadow could react, Scourge threw the Chaos Emerald off Shadow`s hand. Now strongly weakened, Shadow began thinking about a strategy against that dangerous opponent. First thing he had to do was catch that Emerald again. Shadow punched Scourge in the face, threw him off of him, hurried to the emerald and picked it up. Scourge was massaging his bleeding nose when Shadow yelled "Chaos spear!" A blast of energy appeared from Shadow and struck directly the green hedgehog.

"Ouch!" Scourge said. "Ya`ll pay fer that, ya emo!"

"Give me your price, I`ll send a check!" Shadow replied, already zooming again toward Scourge. He began a kicking move to Scourge`s head, but the king of Moebius avoided it before it could hit; Shadow, having thought about that, Chaos Controlled only a few inches from where he was previously and this time, successfully hit Scourge in the face. Shadow approached the now weak Scourge, pulling out a gun while doing so.

"Nice jacket, loser," Scourge said. "But mine has the same use!" Scourge rolled into a ball and zoomed far enough to avoid Shadow`s gunshots. Once at a good distance, Scourge took out from an inside pocket of his jacket another gun. This one was unlike anything Shadow had seen before. It looked almost like a mix between an Uzi and a flamethrower, which made no sense… When Scourge shot, however, Shadow found out what was that weapon`s use. Few hundredths of a second after the trigger was pulled, the bullet had begun blazing up, probably by the friction of air, and became a fireball. Shadow barely had time to Chaos Control away from that ammo.

"Quit moving," a voice said behind Scourge. The green hedgehog felt a gun touch his temple and a handcuff over his wrist. "Try anything, and your next destination will be a morgue." Alexis had just arrived. Shadow had Chaos Controlled on the other side of Scourge and was also pointing his gun to the despicable character`s other temple. Alexis passed the other handcuff to Scourge`s free hand, finally getting him caught.

The king of Moebius swore. "If I knew emo would`ve teamed up with a goddamn son of a gun… If I knew he`d have teamed up with anyone at all..."

"People change over eleven years," Shadow replied. "Alexis, take that greenie to prison. I`m gonna check in that house."

"Uh, sure…" Alexis said, throwing the house's key to Shadow. "Try anything, Scourge, and I`m gonna use your weapon on you. I`m really good at driving and watching an outlaw at the same time."

Shadow saw his own car leave, with Alexis driving it, and with Scourge on the back seat. He really wondered whether that was a good idea. Anyway, he really had to check in that house. He unlocked the door and entered. Suddenly, he heard a voice from downstairs. "Scourgey? Is that you?" If he wasn`t mistaken, that voice reminded him of someone. Not Princess Sally (it if had, then that girl might have been Anti-Sally)… the voice was different. Actually, it sounded like Fiona Fox.

"Sorry, he won`t be here fro some time," Shadow said.

It wasn`t long before the red fox came from downstairs. "What the Hell are you saying?"

"He`s gonna be imprisoned for attacking a cop. Luckily, we could stop him before any real harm. Now, he`s being driven to Four-Lakes prison, and he`ll spend the night there."

"SCREW YOU!" Fiona screamed, homing a punch toward Shadow. Shadow grabbed Fiona`s fist, and in a strong move, succeeded in throwing her to the ground. "How the hell did you find us here? We`re not even in goddamn Station Square!"

"It just so happens that my case was here, in Four-Lakes," Shadow explained. "I had the impression I`d find you and anti-Sonic here. Mostly because of King Sonic`s passing by to this Zone for a speech… turns out he was framed for murder on a squirrel woman. He is presently on trial. And after all that, we find you two here… kinda lucky for a coincidence, huh?"

"Do you want to tell me you think Scourgey might have been the real killer?"

"I`m not thinking it, I claim it."

"Screw you, damnit!" Fiona fox tried to kick Shadow on the belly, but Shadow deflected the move with his ankle.

"Useless to try and defeat me, you should know that I`m indestructible. Now, unless you want a beating, tell me how you ended up here."

"Why you wanna know that?"

"Because, in the news, all portals leading to and from Moebius had been destroyed forever. Am I right?"

"You are. But you didn`t know some scientist in Four-Lakes had created another method of dimension-traveling. That dumbass scientist didn`t know Scourge and his Queen – me, that is – were also spreading terror on anti-Four-Lakes. When we discovered about that portal, we entered it. We kicked the positive scientist out and took his house as headquarters on Mobius."

"Then comes the conspiracy," Shadow added. "Anyway, we`re gonna bring you along. You`re not as destructive as the King of Moebius… but you could be a great witness to help us in court in getting Scourge to prison."

"Do what you want with him. He has screwed enough with my emotions anyway. He can go to jail, I don`t give a shit."

Shadow smirked. "Nice way to talk about your boyfriend."

"That Casanova cheats on me while I`m totally aware of it… he can go to Hell."

"Couldn`t agree more," Shadow nodded, "but to me Moebius is already Hell, and he`s the great leader of it. Anyway, here`s a deal. Since even you seem to dislike Scourge the Hedgehog, I won`t imprison you along with him."

"You`re too nice…" Fiona said on a tone filled with sarcasm.

"…However, if we hit a wall during the trial and we don`t know whether he is guilty or not of a conspiracy against his positive self Sonic, I might come and get you here to tell us the truth about Scourge`s plan. Deal?"

Fiona sighed. "Deal… I can`t believe I`m accepting this, but deal anyway. A final thing…"

"What is it?"

"Tell Sonic that while he has been quite inactive, making peace around, Scourge is still top-shape from warring, so the King of Mobius shouldn`t try and battle his Moebius self."

Shadow left the house and, before leaving, began thinking. Maybe Fiona Fox knew about Sonic being king because she had read it in newspapers, or maybe because they were at the ball. They had to be at the ball-wait a minute, were those two the people Sonic said he thought he had recognized in the crowd during his speech? Then, it means Scourge and Fiona might be heavily implied in the conspiracy!

To be continued…

* * *

Author`s notes: I`m sure it was easy to guess. I mean, all the clues were leading to Scourge. But do the detectives have all the clues that will help Ventuss into proving Scourge is the murderer of Quadrina? You`ll see in next chapter!


End file.
